The name William Paley is a conjecture, based on the information available from Elizabeth Paley Knibbs' birth record.

Notes for Elizabeth KNIBBS:

Also known as: Lizzie Lemure

Birth: abt. 1834 in Egham, Surrey, England.

Death: UNKNOWN.

Occupation:
Opera Singer

Occupation:
Lady of Comedy (Serio-Comic)
bet. 1867 and 1870

Emigration:
1871
Illinois - 1871, USA, Emigrated

Baptism:
18 May 1834
Egham, Surrey, England

Elizabeth's father died in 1849 and we can see that in 1851, all of her siblings were living at the Windsor Union Workhouse. Elizabeth was that little bit older so I presume that at 15 or 16 years of age, she was deemed to be old enough to make her own way in the world. Unfortunately, I can see no sign of her in 1851.

Elizabeth had a daughter named Elizabeth Paley Knibbs, b.1853 at St George in the East, Stepney, London. The father was William Paley. They didn't marry.

The birth register states that Elizabeth was living at the Workhouse at the time of the birth.__________

On 2 Feb 1853, Elizabeth was admitted to the Raine Street Workhouse, St George in the East, Wapping, London. She was admitted on the order of her Master because she was pregnant. The records are a little confusing because the Workhouse records indicate that Elizabeth and her daughter (also Elizabeth) were admitted on 2 Feb 1853, yet the baptism record for the daughter says she was born on 2 July 1853.

The workhouse record also indicates that Elizbaeth was married on 9 Sep 1852, so was in fact married when she was admitted. There seems to be no record of a marriage in 1852.__________

Newspaper articles show that Elizabeth performed as Lizzie Lemure at the following places during her career as a Serio-Comic:Alexandra Hall, Peter Street, Manchester, England - August-November, 1870Winchester Music Hall, Southwark Bridge Road, London, England - December 1869-June 1874

The Area Almanack and Annual from 1874, lists Lizzie as a Serio-Comic Singer.__________

From The Era - Sunday 10 July 1870:__________

From The Era - 17 July 1870: BELFASTSHAKESPEARE HOTEL. - (Proprietress, E. Grey.) - The attraction of two ballets a night, executed by the Sisters Howard and the "Can-Can" Troupe, prove sufficient to draw crowded houses. Mies Jenny Blanche (serio-comic) made her first appearance on Monday. Miss Lemure sings her rattling serio-comic effusions In taking style, and receives much applause. Mr M. P. Foster is a satisfactory performer, and is appreciated. __________

Lizzie's name regularly appeared in "The Era Almanac" between 1868 and 1877 as a Serio-Comic or Serio-Comic Singer.__________

Copies of newspaper cuttings have revealed that Elizabeth married Edward Hoare in 1871 at Scarborough, Yorkshire England. He was a Private in the British army, and she was an opera singer. They separated in 1880 after 9 years and eventually divorced in 1888. Elizabeth divorced Edward on the grounds of his adultery with her niece, Emily Knibbs.

Elizabeth and Edward Hoare went to live in Chicago, Illinois, USA, and in 1880, an Emily Knibbs (said to be her niece from England) went to live with them. We can see from newspaper cuttings related to Elizabeth's divorce from Edward, that she was a fairly wealthy woman.__________

A playbill from 1867, featuring "Miss Lemure" at the McDonald's Music Hall, High Street, Hoxton, London__________

An extract from the Rocky Mountain News (Denver Co.) 27 July, 1888:

HER FAITHLESS HUSBAND CHICAGO, July 26. - Lizzie Lemure's life romance was told in Judge Baker's court to-day, and a sadder one is seldom recorded, even in divorce annals. Lizzie Lemure was a famous London opera singer, a protege of Lord George Paget, and as a friend and contemporary of Ada Isaacs Monken, the "Mazeppa" of Astley's theatre, she frequently met the Prince of Wales, and her mezzo-soprano voice was well-known to London opera goers. An artist's affections are proverbially erratic. Lizzie Lemure's were entrapped by the Adonis-like person of a private in the British army. There was nothing of Edward Hoare but his magnificent physical beauty and manly strength. In his red coat and "shako" me might have entrapped the heart of a better dowered bride than Lizzie Lemure. A private soldier's pay, however, makes him susceptible to any woman of means, and Lizzie Lemure had £8,000, so in 1870 Lizzie Lemure and Edward Hoare were married. The opera singer gave the soldier $130 to buy his discharge in the army, but she affirms that he did not spend it for that purpose. According to her statement, he deserted from the ranks and came to Chicago. She followed him in six months. With her money a house was purchased at Park Ridge and Mrs. Hoare's activity and energy procured for her husband the position of civil engineer on the Northwestern railroad, which position he has held for fourteen years. The couple's life was commonplace but happy in Park Ridge until eight years ago. In 1880, not having been blessed with children, Mrs. Hoare brought over from England her sixteen-year-old niece, Emily Knibbs. Emily was not pretty, but she was young and vivacious. "She lived with Mr. Hoare and myself as one of the family" said Mrs. Hoare, "and for a long time I was far from accepting that my husband could be so base as to betray her. It came like a peal of thunder out of a clear sky when Emily became the mother of a child. She tearfully told me who was the father. It was Mr. Hoare. I taxed him and he confessed. I was so overcome that I became ill, and when I could do so I took a trip to California. On my return I found that Mr. Hoare and my niece were living together at my house.. I ordered her out and in a week Mr. Hoare left also. He told me he did not love me any more. He said he was bound to provide for and protect Emily and her child. The brazen girl was ungrateful for all I had done for her. She took all my bric-a-brac and the hundred little articles I had collected in twenty years, but I never chided my husband for his infamy; I loved him very deeply." Mrs. Hoare buried her face in her hands and seemed to be going back in memory to the days of Lizzie Lemure and Ada Isaacs Monken and the Adonis soldier who captured the citadel of her heart. "Did you give your husband any provocation for this treachery" enquired Mrs. Hoare's lawyer. Mrs. Hoare arose from her seat with flashing eye and swelling breast. The question dried her eyes. She seemed to be on the tragic boards again as she said, with an intentionally and dramatic gesture that caused Judge Baker to look up in astonishment. "Provocation! Well, yes. If you call taking him to Paris and spending £500 on him in a single month; if you call giving him all of my £2,000 which I made on the stage and £550 left to me by my mother in England; if you call that provocation, why, then, I suppose I gave him provocation. I loved him passionately. I was as true to him as any woman ever was to any man. Everything I had he got. He has absorbed it all, and to-day in the meridian of life I find myself heartbroken and penniless, with nothing but what kind friends give me in charity, while he lives in a hotel at Park Ridge, within a stone's throw of Emily Knibbs, with whom he spends his time and on whom he lavishes his salary as civil engineer. I have often rued the day when his fine form and shallow head lured me to this." Miss Annie Shurfee said that Mrs. Hoare had only her house at Park Ridge and derived other necessaries for her maintenance from the lady neighbors. Mr. Bonomy, a resident of Park Ridge, said that Hoare admitted to him that he was the father of Emily Knibbs' child, and told him that he no longer cared for his wife. Judge Baker heaved a deep sigh as he told the lawyer that Lizzie Lemure's was a sad story, and she might have a divorce. __________

An extract form The Daily Interocean Newspaper, Chicago Il, 27 July 1888:

AN OPERA SINGER'S DIVORCE. Mrs. Elizabeth Hoare, of Park Ridge, secured a decree of divorce yesterday, beforeJudge Baker from her husband, Edward Hoare, civil engineer for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company at a salary of $125 a month. Mrs. Hoare said she was married to defendant Feb. 27, 1870, at Scarborough, England. About a year after the union they came to Chicago, and Mrs. Hoare obtained her husbands present position. There was one child, born in Milwaukee, which has since died. Mrs. Hoare testified that her husband was guilty of intimacy with Emily Knibbs, his 16-year-old niece, and that he had a child by her. On May 6th last he left his wife and went living with Miss Knibbs, and has since been contributing $40 a month toward the support of his niece and her child. All this time Mrs. Hoare has been on the brink of starvation while Hoare boards in style at Park Ridge Hotel. Complainant said she has been kindly cared for lately by Mrs. W.P. Black, and Captain Black appeared as attorney for Mrs. Hoare. "I gave him no provocation for his conduct," said Mrs. Hoare. When I married him I had from $6,000 to $8,000. I took him to Paris with me. He was a soldier, and I gave him £31 to buy his discharge from the army. I gave him money and valuables, and I brought several thousand dollars to this country with me and spent it with him. Even the little fortune that my mother left me he refused to account for. The gold watch that he has got in his pocket now I gave him. It cost me $200. It was my handsome gold watch, and he exchanged it for another. When he left he took the furniture and all my little souvenirs that were made a present to me from some of the first artists in Europe. His niece is now staying with a friend of his, a man that is working in the same office, and they are walking and riding together, and I have never opened my lips from the time he left until this moment" The decree also provides for the payment of $30 a month alimony.Mrs. Hoare's maiden name was Lizzie Lemure. She was a London opera singer some twenty years ago, and a protege of Lord George Paget. As a friend of Ada Isaacs Menken, the Mazeppa of Astley's Theater, she frequently met the Prince or Wales. Hoare was a private of the British Army.__________

The Sun (New York) reported the following on Friday. July 27, 1888:

HER FAITHLESS HUSBANDHe Transferred his Affections to his Wife's Niece.CHICAGO, July 26, - Lizzie Lemure's life romance was told in Judge Baker's court this morning. Twenty years ago Lizzie Lemure was a London opera singer and a protégé of Lord George Paget. She fell in love with a private in the British army, Edward Hoare. A private soldier's pay made him susceptible to any woman of means, and Lizzie Lemure had $80,000. So, in 1870, Lizzie Lemure and Edward Hoare were married. The opera singer gave the soldier$160 to buy his discharge from the army, but she affirms that he did not spend it for that purpose. He deserted from the ranks and came to Chicago. She followed him in six months. With her money a house was purchased at Park Ridge, and Mrs. Hoare's activity and energy procured her husband a position of civil engineer on the North Western Railroad, which position he has held for fourteen years. The couple's life was happy in Park Ridge until eight years ago.In April, 1850, having no children, Mrs. Hoare brought over from England her 16-year-old niece, Emily Knibbs. Emily was not pretty, but she was young and vivacious. "She lived with Mr. Hoare and myself as one of the family." said Mrs. Hoare, "and for a long time I was far from suspecting that my husband could be so base as to betray her. It came like a peal of thunder out of a clear sky when Emily became the mother of a child. She tearfully told me who was the father. It was Mr. Hoare. I taxed him, and he confessed. I was so overcome that I became ill, and when I could do so I took a trip to California. On my return I found that Mr. Hoare and my niece were living together at my house. I ordered her out, and in a week Mr. Hoare left also. He told me that he did not love me any more. He said he was bound to provide for and protect Emily and his child. The brazen girl was ungrateful for all I had done for her. She took all my bric-a-brac and the hundred little articles I had collected in twenty years., but I never chided my husband for his infamy. I loved him very deeply.""Did you give your husband any provocation for his treachery?" asked Mr. Hoare's lawyer."Provocation? Well, yes if you call taking him to Paris and spending £500 pounds on him in a month. If you call giving him all of my £2,000 which I made on the stage, and £650 left me by my mother in England two years ago - if you call that provocation, why, then I suppose I gave him provocation. I loved him passionately: I was as true to him as any woman is to any man. Everything I had he got. He has absorbed it all, and to-day, in the meridian of life, I find myself heartbroken, penniless, with nothing but what kind friends give me in charity, while he lives in a hotel at Park Ridge, within a stone's throw of Emily Knibbs, upon whom he lavishes his salary as a civil engineer. I have often rued the day when his fine form and shallow head lured me to this." Judge Baker told the lady she might have the divorce she sought.__________

From the Baltimore Sun, July 27, 1888: A Sad Romance.—Twenty years ago Lizzie Lemure was a L ondon opera singer and a protege of Lord George Puget. A friend and contemporary of Ada Isaacs Monken, the famous Mazeppa of Ashley's Theatre, she frequently met the Prince of Wales. Lizzie married in 1870 a private of the British army, Edward Hoare. She had $80,000 and he had nothing but bis pay. Hoare deserted and went to Chicago. Mrs. Hoare’s energy procured for her husband the position of civil engineer on the North western Rail road, which position he has held for fourteen years. The couple’s life was commonplace but happy in Park Ridge until eight years ago. In April, 1880, not having been blessed with children,. Mrs. Hoare brought over from England her sfxteen-year-old niece, Emily Knibbs. Emily was not pretty, but she was young aud vivacious. Yesterday in court, in divorce proceedings. Mrs.Hoare charged her husband with betraying Emily and squandering his wife’s money. The divorce was granted. __________

From the South Wales Echo, 13 August, 1888: A LONDON ROMANCE Twenty years ago Lizzie Lemure was an opera singer in London, the friend of Lord George Paget and Ada Isaacs Menken. She fell in love with Edward Hoare, a private in the British Army—tall, handsome, and intelligent. She had a fortune of £16,000; bought Hoare's discharge—she says that he deserted and stole the discharge money—and, in 1870, married him and emigrated to Chicago. Ten years brought them no children, and, in 1880, Mrs Hoare imported her niece, Emily Knibbs, sixteen years old, to live with them. One day Emily bad a baby, and confessed that Hoare was its father. Mrs Hoare left the house. On her return she found her husband and Emily living together as man and wife. Now she has sued for a divorce, which Judge Baker, of Chicago, has granted. Mrs Hoare says :—" I am heartbroken, penniless, and rue the day when that man's fine form and handsome head lured me from my profession and my country." __________

Sadly, I've been unable to identify what happened to Elizabeth after her divorce from Edward.